There’s a movement going on within certain Christian sectors to boycott Glen Beck and Fox News Channel for Beck’s call for people to leave churches that preach social and economic justice. Now, I am not a fan of either Glen Beck or Fox News Channel. I think both are sensationalized perversions of journalism and political commentary, and contribute about as much to news reporting as their left-wing counterparts at MSNBC, a load of bunk a load of bunk seasoned with yelling and finger pointing. [I’ll remind you that I strive to take a more moderate and centrist look at all things political and make decisions on my own values rather than political affiliation] I’d like to take a look at this argument through an objective lens, as I take extremist politics and extremist religions with a similar grain of salt, especially when it involves such an über-conservative pundit like Beck. Too often in recent years the lines of politics and religion have blurred to such an extreme point that it is starting to get dangerous, and too many of our policy makers in DC forget their oath to support the Constitution, which calls for politics and religion to be separate. Many argue that America was founded on Christian beliefs, and that is a short-sighted argument because many of our founding fathers were actually Atheists or Agnostics rather than the traditional Judeo-Christians that they are argued to be. But enough of that, back to the topic that started this whole train of thought: social and economic justice in our churches.
Glenn Beck recently called on his viewers to leave their churches if the pastors taught messages of social and economic justice, and he’s got the son of a popular Christian figurehead on his side. Social and economic justice, what is that? Some modern-day followers of the Bible contend that both Old and New Testament books teach charity, volunteerism, helping those in need, assisting in disaster relief, offering a hand to those less fortunate as social and economic justice. There are many that believe it is also related to changing the environment or conditions that lead to people being downtrodden. This is where the political lines can really start to cross over, and where Glen Beck and his supporter Jerry Falwell Jr. (yes, son of the late Reverend, who tried to inject his moral majority into politics so much) argue that those churches are pushing a socialist agenda on their patrons. But, honestly, who is politicizing their religion more here? Is it the pastor who wants his flock to spend more time volunteering in soup kitchens? Is it the Rabbi who wants members of his synagogue to help the unemployed in their job hunt? Is it the priest who is spending time in his inner-city neighborhood working to reduce gang violence? Or is it Beck and Falwell who think all those I just listed somehow "are trying to twist the gospel to say the gospel supported socialism." I think everyone needs to realize that when it comes to helping your fellow man, it’s not about left, right, or in-between, it’s more about seeing someone who’s in a tough time, and doing what you can, when you can, to somehow brighten that person’s day and help them realize that they can make it in this world, and maybe offer them a hand out of the hole they’re in. It might just change their life.
I don’t profess myself to be the most spiritual or religious person in the world. I’m at a place in my life where I’m still trying to decide what I truly believe when it comes to a “higher power.” What I do know, is that in the world I live in, I see and have seen lots of pain, suffering, and strife day in and day out. I’ve seen a lot in my short thirty years. I’ve seen the best of mankind, and I’ve seen the absolute worst. The best in mankind I’ve seen was due to people doing what they could to help the person to their left and right, whether they knew them or not, whether they liked them or not. The worst I’ve seen in man has almost every time been tied to some sort of religious dogma, and that saddens me. I've seen radical Islamists blow up children "in the name of Allah." I've seen "Christians" harass, abuse, and beat up gays because they were "different," and "perverts." Now, many of the ills of man lie and are due to extreme ends of the religious spectrum, and I know that. However, there are many that are caused by those that don’t fall so far to one end, and that’s where the change that can lead to true social and economic justice needs to come from. Ghandi said it best: “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” More of our Christians need to start being like our Christ, just like more Muslims need to subscribe to the true teachings of the Koran. The Jesus and Mohammed I’ve read about would like that…and that goes for EVERYONE...
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